SOE Bids Fond Farewell to Star Wars Galaxies

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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SOE Bids Fond Farewell to Star Wars Galaxies



CEO John Smedley says it was a good decision to let the license for the venerable sci-fi MMO expire, as if a million voices cried out and were suddenly silenced.

Star Wars Galaxies has been around for eight years. Launched in 2003 to much fanfare, players were excited to inhabit the world of Lucas' Star Wars original trilogy. Of course, the open world, er, galaxy, mechanics didn't satisfy all MMO players, and SOE tried to correct some of the game's errors with a major update in 2005 that only ended up pissing the fanbase off even more. Galaxies survived six more years, but last month SOE sadly announced that it will turn off the servers for good on December 31st , 2011 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111290-Star-Wars-Galaxies-Falls-In-Sarlacc-Pit]. Taking the stage at the opening address at SOE Fan Faire 2011 as a EQ dwarf holding a lightsaber, community Relations director Linda Carlson lamented the game's closure and implored the fans to celebrate the time they have left in Galaxies, a sentiment which CEO John Smedley echoed. But unfortunately, Smedley said that it was time for SOE's license with George Lucas' company to end.

"It breaks the heart of everybody that this world has to come to an end," said Carlson. "When the final announcement was made, you could feel the reverberations through the company. We felt it here," she said gesturing to her heart, "and it hurt." She then played a video the devs made celebrating some of the iconic moments, characters and settings of Galaxies.

"Jedi, bounty hunters, entertainers, the whole lot of you, I salute you," said Carlson. "But you know what? We're not done yet. We still have seven months to get together, we can celebrate the game, we can share our memories, we can still have a hell of a good time. I hope you join us all as we follow the last few months of Star Wars Galaxies."

If so many members of SOE cared about the game and its fans, then why was the decision made to end the game after so many years?

"It was time to turn it off. We have a contractual relationship that's ending in 2012, The Old Republic launching, a bunch of other business things with LucasArts," Smedley said. "And then you look at the odds of a pretty large portion of the audience moving to TOR, which looks like a terrific game. I think that's going to be really well-received by the population." You can't deny Smedley's business sense there.

"But it hurts," Smedley said. "We knew, with the checkered past [of Galaxies], that this would not be a popular decision [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111388-Galaxies-Players-Headed-Towards-Dark-Side-With-Lawsuit], but it was just one that we had to make."

If the intellectual property of Galaxies was wholly owned by SOE, then the decision might have been moot because the game would likely continue to make money for a long time, even with TOR lurking. "That's the problem with licenses: they end," Smedley said. "We're going to continue to do some licensed work, but we're largely going to stick to original IP [going forward] because then we won't have this issue. We'll never have this problem with EverQuest."

Interestingly enough, Smedley said that SOE had already renegotiated to extend the license a few times. "Back in 2001, not '03 when we launched, but back in 2001 when we [first] negotiated it, a five year license seemed like a really long god damn time," Smedley said. "EverQuest was only a year or so old at that point. Could we have renegotiated? Maybe, but I don't think that would be the right thing for the company."

Still, the closing of Galaxies clearly affects John Smedley. "I'm bummed about it," he said with a frown, and I believed him.

Because of the somewhat early announcement that the servers will turn off at the end of December 2011, SOE has some great plans in store for the ending of the game's eight-year run. "The team is working on all of the details," Smedley said. Is the Death Star going to blow up again? "I don't know about that but they've got something else in mind with the Galactic Civil War. I think [Star Wars Galaxies] is going to go out in a memorable way. With a bang, not a whimper, that's for sure."


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Mister Benoit

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Sep 19, 2008
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I wonder if anyone considering ToR for the long haul will take this as a wake up call because the same thing WILL happen all over again.

Ahh well, sucks for the folks who have been paying the subscription fees for the past 8 years. Hopefully it was time well wasted for them.
 

Fursnake

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Jun 18, 2009
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Sorry Smed, but SWG died in November 2005 and has been whimpering along ever since.

And I don't think millions of voices cried out over this, just the thousands left playing hehe.
 

ManupBatman

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Jun 23, 2011
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It's sad but SWG had a DAMN good run. They did a lot of things that MMOs don't even do today, like player houses and dog fights. Pretty cool really.
 

Jumplion

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Mar 10, 2008
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This reminds me when "Matrix Online" ended and it was some sort of big, epic battle until everyone was literally put to sleep or something by the Matrix. Wacky stuff.

Still, it's always a bummer to see a long-running game go down. Maybe their next MMO will be more successful, I dunno.
 

TitanAura

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Jun 30, 2011
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It's a sad time to be a dev on Galaxies. Not only is their game being shut down, a game they poured years of their lives into creating, but they're also receiving the unwarranted, though predictable, wrath of their fans.
 

CloggedDonkey

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Nov 4, 2009
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Huh, seems like this and the news of The Agency being canceled came pretty close together... bad week for MMOs.

Anyway, on topic, I'll miss Star Wars Galaxies. It always seemed like an idea that just needed some extra polish, so it's sad to see it go. I'm at least glad that they're giving it a big send-off, unlike most MMOs that just slowly die. I hope they give their fans, however many there are left, a good ending.
 

Erana

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RT-Medic-with-shotgun said:
Just because they played SWG dosen't mean they will gladly swap to ToR. Two different games and i doubt they would want to play ToR by virtue of it being Star wars. If they did they wouldn't be fighting it as much.
Yeah, but you'd think TOR would make a bigger effort to try to win the Galaxies fans over.
I mean, if you offered them a ton of bonuses for being Star Wars MMO fans for years, that they'd get a bit of a warmer welcome and some gamer rep.

I know its different companies 'n all, but you think they could cooperate on something like this.
 

rsvp42

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Mister Benoit said:
I wonder if anyone considering ToR for the long haul will take this as a wake up call because the same thing WILL happen all over again.
If you mean lasting 8 years, I hope you're right. If you mean they make a big change after release that everyone hates and it clings to a sad facsimile of life for several years, I hope you're wrong :p

OP: I thought it was closing December 15th? That's what your other article and the one I read on Massively states, unless the date changed at the Fan Faire.
 

Atmos Duality

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Mar 3, 2010
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What little I tried of Star Wars Galaxies was some of the most boring rubbish I ever played.
Even for an MMORPG.
I won't miss it.
 

chiefohara

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RT-Medic-with-shotgun said:
Erana said:
RT-Medic-with-shotgun said:
Just because they played SWG dosen't mean they will gladly swap to ToR. Two different games and i doubt they would want to play ToR by virtue of it being Star wars. If they did they wouldn't be fighting it as much.
Yeah, but you'd think TOR would make a bigger effort to try to win the Galaxies fans over.
I mean, if you offered them a ton of bonuses for being Star Wars MMO fans for years, that they'd get a bit of a warmer welcome and some gamer rep.

I know its different companies 'n all, but you think they could cooperate on something like this.
While that would go a looong way to alleviate the separation issues(Cmon 8 years with the characters and poof nothing to show for it) the two are entirely different games, different systems, different feels, and different eras of the genre.

A good deal of Galaxies fans(at least my friends) are not a fan of the expanded universe. In any way shape or form.
While i empathise with the SWG fans, this makes me feel better about giving up wow because the same thing will happen to it when Titan comes along, albeit a long way down the line.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Greg Tito said:
CEO John Smedley says it was a good decision to let the license for the venerable sci-fi MMO expire, as if a million voices cried out and were suddenly silenced.
John Smedley wouldn't know a good decision if it formally introduced itself to him.
Taking the stage at the opening address at SOE Fan Faire 2011 as a EQ dwarf holding a lightsaber,
Why the hell would an EQ Dwarf be wearing the armour of Tunare?
"It breaks the heart of everybody that this world has to come to an end,"
I bet Rebekah Brooks said similar.

We're not done yet. We still have seven months to get together, we can...
make you spend more money and time on something that's now destined to be put down like a sick dog.

"But it hurts," Smedley said.
You lying toad.

We'll never have this problem with EverQuest."
Given that we re-write the rules every few years but still can't fix the teleporter gnomes.
And DCUO needs to be turned off soon.

Still, the closing of Galaxies clearly affects John Smedley. "I'm bummed about it," he said with a frown, and I believed him.
Only one in that entire crowd that did. Smeldey has been a pain in the ass to SOE players since he took over.

I think [Star Wars Galaxies] is going to go out in a memorable way. With a bang, not a whimper, that's for sure."
It died in the aftermath of the NGE. Your new lightsaber cut through it as if it wasn't there, and the clothes fell to the floor.

You're still orbiting Yavin looking for the Rebel Base, Darth Smedley. But the Rebels have your plans, and where your exhaust port lies.

And Emperor Lucas is still holding the chains.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/08/lucas-quashes-star-wars-fan-event
 

Tiamat666

Level 80 Legendary Postlord
Dec 4, 2007
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With all of these MOO's coming and going, all of which I have never played, I wonder if something of value is lost.
Old games can usually be played forever using emulators. You can always go back for the nostalgia or have a look at something great you might have missed. But when an MMO is gone, it's pretty much gone for good.
 

iniudan

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Apr 27, 2011
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Tiamat666 said:
With all of these MOO's coming and going, all of which I have never played, I wonder if something of value is lost.
Old games can usually be played forever using emulators. You can always go back for the nostalgia or have a look at something great you might have missed. But when an MMO is gone, it's pretty much gone for good.
In the case some of the oldest MMO there is emulator out there, so basically even when they shut down people will still be able to play Ultima Online and Everquest, since they had unofficial servers for years.